Emergency Preparedness Kits

In partnership with Serve DC and the Red Cross, volunteers will learn about the importance of creating an emergency preparedness plan and will also assemble emergency preparedness kits.

Service Project Impact: It is essential for all community residents to know what to do in the event that an emergency strikes our region or their home. Utilizing the expertise of the Red Cross and Serve DC, volunteers will prepare EPR kits and learn through live demonstrations and will leave better prepared for an emergency.

Math Puzzles

Freedom Plaza
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington ,
DC,
20004

Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Volunteers will create educational foam board math puzzles that consist of equations and math problems for elementary and middle school students. Once assembled, the puzzles will be packaged into easy to carry kits and given to local schools across Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Service Project Impact: The puzzles are a fun educational game that teachers and parents can use to help students improve their proficiency in math. Tailored to fit their curriculum, the kits will aid students' success in school by providing them with a study tool that can be used inside and outside of the classroom.

Honor Cards

Freedom Plaza and The Wilson Building

Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 1:00pm to 4:00pm

In partnership with Blue Star Families, volunteers will write letters of appreciation to active duty service members, military families and veterans.

Service Project Impact: In the spirit of the day, volunteers will have the opportunity to write to active duty service members, military families and veterans to show their appreciation for their dedication and sacrifice.

Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff 9/11 Memorial 5k

DoubleTree Hotel Crystal City
Arlington ,
VA

Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 6:00pm

In June 2002, Captain Matt Smith and Detective Dan Borrelli had just returned from a road race in Buffalo, NY when the Police Chief suggested Arlington should host its own race. “We could do that,” Captain Smith remembers saying.

The origins of the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K Race can be traced to that conversation. Three months later, on September 7, 2002, the inaugural race was held. Captain Smith says he lost 10 pounds and plenty of sleep in the frantic days leading up to the race, but in the end all the worrying was unnecessary. The race was more successful than the organizers ever imagined. “We thought if we had 500 people it would be great,” says Captain Smith. In fact, 2600 runners participated, approximately $40,000 was raised for 9/11-related charities and a tradition was born.

Now the race is an annual event eagerly anticipated by competitive and recreational runners alike. About 3,300 people participated in the sixth annual 9/11 run on September 8, 2007. “It really struck a chord with the community and it’s taken off,” says Smith.

To make sure the event goes off without a hitch Captain Smith and Detective Borrelli rely on a dedicated race committee, lots of volunteers, and the generosity of corporate sponsors, including the DoubleTree Hotel, Mr. Days Restaurant, Aramark, Papa John’s Pizza, Juniper Networks and Pacers Running Stores.

Ten years after the September 11 attacks, the Memorial 5K Race continues to provide an avenue for businesses and residents to give something back, to remember the victims and to honor the firefighters and police officers who responded that day. The race course takes runners past the repaired west wall of the Pentagon.

“To me,” says Captain Smith, “It’s a way to bring members of the community together to pay their respects, and hopefully also to have a good time. One thing I often hear from first time runners is ‘I’m coming back and I’m going to bring more people next year.’ To see the race have that kind of positive impact on people, that’s the best part.”

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub - PMF Fundraiser

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub
713 King Street ,
Alexandria,
VA

Saturday, September 10, 2011 - 2:00pm to 11:45pm

As we are approaching the 10 year commemoration of the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, we continue to remember all those lost, reflect on their sacrifice, and renew our commitment to freedom. On Saturday, September 10, 2011, a fundraising event will be held at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub, 713 King Street, Alexandria, VA to benefit the Pentagon Memorial Fund (PMF). There is a $10 admission fee at the door, which a portion of will be donated to PMF. The event will offer a hors d’oeuvre buffet from 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM, and a cash bar, door prizes, and silent and live auctions from 2:00 PM - midnight.

Funds raised at this event will support PMF and its Memorial docent program. These critical funds will help ensure that the tens of thousands of visitors to the site each year will have the opportunity to learn about the Memorial firsthand from a 9/11 family member, first responder, and other dedicated docents.

A Weekend of Peace, Compassion and Forgiveness

Join leading spiritual teachers September 10 and 11 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The weekend is dedicated to helping each of us awaken to our own true nature, so that no matter what happens in life, we can respond from a place of peace, compassion and forgiveness.

An opening of the heart through prayer, meditation, music and chants. Teachers explore the spiritual dimensions of how our lives were affected by the events of 9.11.2001. We look at how reacting with fear brings so much suffering to our lives, while responding with love brings us refuge and strength. Sylvia Boorstein begins a weekend-long series of loving-kindness meditations to help us cultivate a deep sense of caring for ourselves and for all of creation. Mirabai Ceiba provides musical accompaniment for the morning.

Buddhism teaches that the possibility of the mind and heart to remain clear and cordial is not contingent on events. The Buddha’s Third Noble Truth, “Peace is Possible,” assures us that in spite of the inevitable challenges that life presents, our own heart-mind can remain grounded in wisdom, and inclined towards benevolence. What is required of us is intention, diligence and practice.

Ruth King — Holding On, Letting Go: Freeing Heart & Mind

Our impulse to retaliate when our hearts are broken is a natural human experience—however these impulses are worthy of compassionate investigation. In this interactive exchange, we examine the grip of the judging mind and its tendency to create an “us” and “them.” We will also explore together how to let go, forgive, and embrace the sorrows and joys of the world with an open heart.

Lama Surya Das speaks to us on the enlightened quality of patience—the ability to stay positive in the face of adversity. By cultivating tolerance, forbearance and acceptance—including mindful anger management—we develop strength of mind and heart. This enables us to respond to the challenges of life with clarity, composure and serenity, rather than anger and aggression.

Two of the country's most respected and influential Buddhist teachers offer insights into their decades of practice and teaching, and reveal some of the important lessons that have led to their own personal transformation. This promises to be a fascinating discussion for both experienced and new seekers. The two teachers and authors discuss what they have learned about taking painful and difficult experiences from their own lives and turning them into opportunities for gaining greater wisdom and compassion.

This insightful and eye-opening film points to the centrality of forgiveness as a virtue in many of the world’s great religions, and to the struggle that people of all faiths have in honoring it. It explores how an emerging understanding of clinical and academic research shows that forgiveness is validated as having real potential for personal and spiritual transformation. The film combines character-driven stories of dramatic transgressions with those of more commonplace annoyances, examining the role that forgiveness can play in alleviating the resulting anger and grief. It also looks at the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that come with forgiveness. These stories assure us that there is hope if we are open to seeking it and accepting it.

Actively blessing somebody lifts up one’s own mind and spirit. As a way of remembering the victims of 9.11, we lift our eyes and awaken our attention, offering blessings to each other and the world as part of our morning program. Lama Surya Das, Sylvia Boorstein and Ruth King lead us in a simple but powerful ceremony that focuses on the joy of giving and receiving blessings. We will also remember those who perished on 9.11 with the ringing of a bell. Many of us on our spiritual journeys do not always know which step along the path points us in the direction that we’re seeking. Steve Zappalla, a survivor of the Pentagon attack, shares his remarkable story publicly for the first time. He describes how the 9.11 tragedy began a chain of events in his life that led him to a spiritual practice of mindfulness based on Buddhist principles—and to a place of personal transformation and inner peace.

We open our hearts and calm our minds with a loving-kindness meditation. Eian Burgess will provide musical accompaniment for the morning.

The Buddha teaches that mindfulness is the path to enlightenment—and true peace. When faced with life's challenges, mindfulness helps us answer the very practical question: "What works?" Through meditation, we begin to steady and calm our minds, and open ourselves to our natural wisdom and compassion. This allows us to more easily make choices and take actions that lead to greater peace in our lives—and in the world around us.

1 pm Jonathan Foust leads a guided practice in mindful movement and breathing that will support us in slowing down and being more present.

1:15 pm The Transformative Power of Forgiveness

Tara Brach

While hatred and blame arise naturally when we've been threatened or hurt, if we are unable to process and release these reactions, they become a prison for our heart. On a global level, holding on to blame keeps our earth spinning in the throes of human violence. Tara Brach's talk explores how we can cultivate a forgiving heart—for our own freedom, and for the healing of our world.

BuddhaFest is thrilled to present this film as part of the 9.11 program. Currently in release around the country, BUCK recently completed its run in the DC area. We’re bringing it back because we feel it says so much about compassion, forgiveness and healing. This visually textured and stunning film follows horse trainer Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer,” and the subject of the well-known feature film by Robert Redford, Brannaman renounces the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership, sensitivity and compassion, instead of punishment.

4:30 pmWhat Can We Do Today? $15 Buy Tickets (Ticket includesadmission to 3 pm film BUCK)

Lama Surya Das, Sylvia Boorstein, Ruth King

We reflect on what the Dalai Lama said during those difficult hours of 9.11.2001—"Today the human soul asks the question: What can I do to preserve the beauty and the wonder of our world and to eliminate the anger and hatred—and the disparity that inevitably causes it—in that part of the world which I touch?... What can you do TODAY...this very moment?"

The weekend comes to a close with a musical celebration -- a heart-opening evening of kirtan music and chanting. With deep, rich journeys into a sound that is lush, earthy and other-worldly, you will travel the world through the music of Mirabai Ceiba. Accompanied by Angelika's harp and Markus's guitar, their incredible vocals, sung in Spanish and English, include newly arranged chants from various traditions. Listen

The husband and wife duo are from different parts of the world. Together they have forged an engaging new style of world devotional music, blending Gurmukhi mantras from the Kundalini Yoga tradition with original songs that reflect a Native American influence. Many of their songs draw words of wisdom from Rumi, Thich Nhat Hanh, Guru Nanak and Yogi Bhajan.

Join us for a musical celebration of peace on this significant day.

SPY Donates to the Pentagon Memorial Fund

In commemoration of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, the International Spy Museum will donate $5 of every ticket purchased to the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Fund from Saturday September 10th through Sunday September 11th. The Pentagon Memorial, a place of solace and healing, was built to preserve the memories of those lost and the day’s tremendous significance in our nation’s history. To further recognize the 10th anniversary of September 11th, the Spy Museum will also match any additional donation* made by visitors.

Washington National Cathedral: Brahms’s Requiem

In partnership with the Pentagon Memorial Fund, the Cathedral will present a special performance of Brahms’s Requiem on Friday, September 9, at 7:30 pm. The concert will be given in honor of the 9/11 Pentagon victims and survivors, their families, and emergency response personnel, as well as the nearly 6,000 fallen military service members whose lives have since been lost in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

The families of the Pentagon victims and survivors, civilian personnel and active duty military members, veterans and wounded warriors are all being extended invitations to attend.

This night’s ceremonies to honor the victims and special guests will feature the Cathedral’s Pentagon Cross: made from fragments from the face of the Pentagon attacked on 9/11, it was presented to the Cathedral as a gift by the U.S. Army chief of chaplains “in recognition that we are united in memory, united in freedom, and united in faith, hope, and love for God, our nation, and all humankind.”

REBIRTH Premiere

West End Cinema
2301 M Street NW,
Washington,
DC,
20037

Friday, September 9, 2011 - 5:00pm

Rebirth will be showing at West End Cinema on the following dates and times:

Friday, September 9th at 5:00pm and 7:30pm

Saturday, September 10th at 12:45pm and 3:00pm

Monday, September 12th through Thursday, September 15th daily at 5:15pm

Project Rebirth's film, REBIRTH, is a full-length documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2011. It is the result of a decade-long process by director Jim Whitaker and is a riveting journey into living history. It is also an act of personal witness to one of the most profound events in American history and the healing that has come its wake.

From early 2002 through 2009, the REBIRTH film crew chronicled the lives of five people directly affected by 9/11. The participants include a survivor from an impact floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC); a firefighter who survived the collapse of the WTC but lost his best friend; a high school student who lost his mother; a young woman who lost her fiancé; and a construction worker who lost his brother, assisted with recovery efforts, and is presently helping to build the Freedom Tower. Their narratives are the thread of recovery and resiliency from grief, loss and trauma that comprise the unique message of the film.

REBIRTH also simultaneously tracks - via unprecedented multi-camera time-lapse photography - the evolution of the former WTC and the entire rebuilding of the site. Though the film captures the minute-by-minute demolition and redevelopment of the WTC site until 2009, Project Rebirth will continue the time-lapse element of the project until the site is completed in its entirety. Please visit our Time-Lapse Project + Film Archive tab and page to learn more about this important element of our project. Philip Glass composed REBIRTH original score.

Special Program: 9/11 Ten Years Later

As the nation approaches the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, the Newseum presents a special evening program looking back at the events from that day and examining the impact of the terrorist attacks on life in America today.

Charles Gibson, former anchor of ABC's flagship broadcast "World News," will moderate the program. Gibson was the host of ABC's "Good Morning America" on the morning of Sept. 11 and began that network's award-winning coverage of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Panelists include:

Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary, who was the primary spokesman for President George W. Bush and was traveling with the president on Sept. 11. Fleischer currently is president of his own media consulting firm.

Victoria Clarke, former assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, who was the Pentagon spokesperson on Sept. 11. She currently is a senior adviser for Comcast Corporation and on-air commentator for ABC.

Jim Miklaszewski, Chief Pentagon Correspondent for NBC News, who was the first at the scene to report that the Pentagon had been attacked. He has since led the network's coverage of the war in Afghanistan.

Gibson, Fleischer, Clarke and Miklaszewski will share their unique perspectives from Sept. 11 and will discuss the state of the nation 10 years later.

Special Events

From time to time, certain special events may be held at the Pentagon Memorial. These events include any action outside of the Memorial Park's ordinary routine. All events must be approved by the Director of Washington Headquarters Services, and go through the proper application process. All groups and individuals, public and private, may apply to hold a special event in the Memorial Park.

Application Process

Individuals or organizations requesting a special event at the Pentagon Memorial Park must submit a request for the event on a Department of Defense (DoD) Form 2798, Application/Permit for Use of Space on the Pentagon Reservation. The DoD Form 2798 should be submitted via fax, email, mail, or in person, to the Pentagon Building Management Office, ATTN:

Wreath Ceremony Information

A wreath-laying ceremony is a special event that may be held at the Pentagon Memorial Park. Groups and individuals must follow the same application process for these events. The operation and maintenance program for the Pentagon Memorial has been resourced to provide support for four wreath laying ceremonies a day, 365 days a year.

The four time periods available for these ceremonies each day are:

10:00am

11:00am

12:30pm

1:30pm

The ceremonies will normally be held adjacent to the Memorial flag pole.

These wreath laying ceremonies will be supported with the following:

An individual knowledgeable of the Pentagon Reservation and Pentagon Memorial procedures

A portable podium with built in sound system

Twenty (20) folding chairs

A tripod for display of the wreath

Requests will be handled on a first come, first served basis. Groups should request a ceremony time as soon as possible, but requests may be accepted at any time prior to the day of a visit.